Member Avatar for n3r0

Hi,
I've got a Gigabyte GA-K8NSNXP motherboard with Realtek AC97 audio on board. I installed all the drivers, also the latest updates of them, but I won't hear any sound...

When I play a file with winamp it just starts playing but I won't hear any sound. In the bios is the Realtek AC97 also selected as audio device.

In my volume control ofcourse nothing is on mute =).

When I put in my headset(microphone) I can hear some noise through the speakers, so I'm kinda sure everything is good connected...

I'm really lost in this one... :rolleyes:

Rick Zweedijk

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Dani AI

Generated

The symptom reported by — Winamp shows playback but no sound, plus the odd behavior where headset earphones act like the microphone — points strongly to a front-panel jack/header mismatch or jack-detection confusion rather than a totally dead codec. That pattern explains silence on the rear line-out while a front-panel wiring or detection error routes signals incorrectly.

A practical troubleshooting sequence (fast checks first, before replacing hardware):

  • Confirm speakers/headset work on a second device to rule out the speakers themselves.
  • Test the motherboard rear line-out directly with known-good headphones (no front-panel connector attached).
  • Temporarily unplug the case front-panel audio header (F_AUDIO) and retest. If sound returns, the front-panel wiring or the header mode is the culprit.
  • Verify the playback path in software: the system’s sound device in Device Manager and the default playback device in Windows, and the output plugin/device selected inside Winamp (Options → Preferences → Output). Look for disabled/hidden channels or per-app volume settings.
  • Check for driver/device errors in Device Manager (yellow icons) rather than assuming the codec is dead.

Deeper checks and fixes:

  • Compare the case front-panel connector type to the motherboard setting (AC97 vs HD Audio / Azalia). Many Gigabyte boards and older front panels use different pinouts; mismatches cause swapped mic/headphone behavior or muted rear jacks.
  • Use the Realtek control panel to force stereo/2.0 output and to disable jack-detection if available. A clean driver uninstall (use the vendor uninstaller or driver-cleaner) and reinstall sometimes resolves mis-detected configurations.
  • A Live Linux session (bootable CD/USB) isolates hardware vs Windows/driver problems quickly.

If front-panel/header wiring or software fixes fail, a hardware fault is possible; warranty/RMA is preferable, but inexpensive PCI/USB sound adapters (as and noted) make practical temporary workarounds.

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All 9 Replies

Member Avatar for dampy

well dude i had a pretty similar problem offlate like u have mine was Sis Chipset....

Well unfortunately onboard soundcard sometimes just goes bizarre and doesn't work.. i also believe that u might have heard a few click sounds that is it...

I assume that there are no sounds whatso ever in ur computer...
Except the click sounds and those few winamp sounds...

There is no problem as such with the connection ... i am also sure .. the simple old solution following (KISS) Keep it Simple and Safe.... go 4 a PCI slot sound card ...
i have gone for a crystal make which is dirt cheap ok ..

and i am sure this shud solve ur problem b'coz PCI behaves differently...

Member Avatar for n3r0

Well... I'm not gonna buy a soundcard if I got my 2jr guarantee (or how they call it in english :))

However... I don't hear any sound, no beeps no 'clicks' as u call em. I only hear it when I plugin my headset's mic and shake a bit with it :P. So it's a bit different. If this really is the problem I'm gonna get myself a whole new motherboard... ;)

EDIT: LOL! I found out my headset's earphone are used as microphone :\ WTF?

Member Avatar for alc6379

what OS is this? XP?

You could always try to check out the Audio Properties control panel. Make sure that the primary audio output device is set to use the Realtek chipset. I've seen situations where, for no reason at all, the device gets changed to (None) or something similar, and changing the device properly fixes it.

Member Avatar for bombus

what OS is this? XP?

You could always try to check out the Audio Properties control panel. Make sure that the primary audio output device is set to use the Realtek chipset. I've seen situations where, for no reason at all, the device gets changed to (None) or something similar, and changing the device properly fixes it.

Same problem , I did what you said but no luck, so I bought a souncard and now no probs.

My friend said he already had such problems with the realtek chipset because it is so cheap that the MB 's builders wants to get the maximum profit so ----

Member Avatar for alc6379

Same problem , I did what you said but no luck, so I bought a souncard and now no probs.

My friend said he already had such problems with the realtek chipset because it is so cheap that the MB 's builders wants to get the maximum profit so ----

I would agree with you. In this particular case, I'm thinking the sound jacks might be bad, or the chipset on the board went belly-up.

Member Avatar for rcrevolution

is your AC97 audio enable in your BIOS?

i had a similar problem, and bought a new sound card just to find out a few months later my AC97 was disable in the bios

Member Avatar for bombus

Yes of course , everything was correct in the bios, I think that the problem is originating from the fact that I have not a "surround speakers" , in fact the software is looking for 5 "speakers"

My friend who is a very good electronician says that the Realtek is a "s...t" sometimes it works sometimes not . Please also note that we downloaded the latest drivers from them and also that the IRQ was always coupled to an USB device (impossible to change after a clean install ????)

My opinion is simple Realtek is proposing a chip at very low price so everybody buy it but it is not reliable.

Please note that I have a laptop withe the same chipset and it works (the sound is awful however)

Member Avatar for newtocustompc

You can download a program for the onboard sound card that you are talking about that lest you pick what each out put does from 2 speackers setup to 5.1 speacker setup.

Member Avatar for hoangnguyen07

My comp also use AC'97, the audio was working fine until one day it just goes mute. But I do hear the greeting sound when window starts. Other than that, I can hear nothing. Not even the click sound. Does it mean that the realtek chipset still functioning?

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